Martini: Backstage pass for Summer Jam

Upon entering the Huntington Center at around 7:30 p.m. July 8, I noticed that the show started on time and the turnout was unfortunate. I checked for radio station presences while looking for my own station The Juice FM 107.3. DJ OneTyme and Swole MC were set up onstage while Tisha Lee helped host and run backstage. Once I received my pink wristband, I set off concerned about how everyone involved felt about the low attendance.

The artists had been more than willing to promote, having recorded radio and YouTube spots directed toward Toledo so the fans knew they were coming. None of this proved sufficient for fans who needed more than three weeks to prepare for a high-priced ticket. Travis Porter had been here recently as had a few of the other artists performing and this was considered to be a factor in low ticket sales.

The urban community is known to wait until the last minute to purchase tickets as a way to guard itself against show scams. This can be a problem for promoters using the number of tickets sold in the first few weeks of announcing a show to gauge whether they need to buy more advertisements and/or if they need to cancel the show because they may not be able to pay the artists. Shows get canceled because of the hesitation and procrastination of ticket buyers.

Promoters Global Event Marketing and Yung Fly Entertainment are the exception. They came to put on a show for Toledo and that’s what they meant to do, win or lose. Even though it was obvious money was lost, the promoters were adamant about the show starting on time. Local acts were begrudgingly forced to perform in front of a few hundred people sprinkled about the entire Huntington Center.

Even though they may have performed too early for the fans who arrived late, these artists were not charged a fee to perform and still shared the stage with heavy hitters like Young Jeezy, Plies, Lloyd, Gorilla Zoe and Porter.

I was impressed with the professionalism of all the artists deciding to give an audience of 1,000 of the luckiest fans in the city a great show. Gorilla Zoe performed his hits “Hood Figga,” “Twisted” and “Losing it” and after Zoe’s performance, he walked around freely amongst the fans talking and taking pictures.

Lloyd lived up to his reputation of being a complete gentleman backstage despite the fact that he ordered his DJ and drummer to leave in the middle of his intro waiting until his payment was confirmed.

I was pleasantly surprised by his flawless vocal performance and his connection with the audience that sung every word to a medley of his hits.

Plies had been to the city several times to do radio promotion, but never to perform. His fans were a major part of the audience and when he pulled female fans on the stage to dance, he promptly asked his security detail to check their IDs to see that the ladies were of age.

Tisha Lee called for fans in seats further back to come forward. I heard a rumor backstage that headliner Young Jeezy has been known not to perform for small crowds and I hoped that wasn’t true.

After his DJ cautioned against DJ One Tyme playing Young Jeezy’s rival, Gucci Mane, during the warmup before Jeezy came out, the crowd roared as he hit the stage ready to go.

I saw no signs of disappointment as he talked to the audience throughout his set of hits, which included “And Then What,” “Go Crazy,” “Trap Star,” “Put On” and “Lose My Mind.” Most of the city missed a great show.

The promoter was surprisingly as cool as a cucumber and his response to the poor turnout was, “Next time they will know I’m for real.”

Those key words, “next time,” were all I needed and wanted to hear, because that means most parties involved will receive a second chance.

Most importantly, we will have another chance at proving we have an urban music fan base large enough to represent a major market for Hip-Hop and R&B tours.

Young Jeezy headlines Summer Jam

On July 8 the Huntington Center will feature a Hip-Hop tour and there is no question that Summer Jam 2011 is the hottest ticket in town. Major Hip-Hop acts like Young Jeezy, Plies, Travis Porter, Gorilla Zoe and R&B crooner Lloyd are confirmed and on board with bringing this major tour to the city. This raises the question, is Toledo’s urban music community big enough to carry such a tour? Sure, we have had big shows brought to us by the city’s urban-based stations, but a tour is different. Shows are booked in clubs or small venues with one or two major artists and a lot of local acts. Tours have several major artists, fewer local acts and appear in larger venues and/or arenas.

Toledo’s hesitation to accept the news of a major tour is understandable considering past inadequate or “janky” promoters who have sold tickets to shows that never materialized. Unfortunately, the constant excuses and finger-pointing left people angry, in financial distress and skeptical about urban events. Availability and ticket costs starting at $60 raised some concern, but throughout the years I have seen a number of Toledoans spend more on a concert ticket and gas for a show in Detroit, Cleveland or Columbus.

There is no denying the job crisis affecting all, especially the urban youth. Because an event of this magnitude is usually promoted two months in advance, it makes the four-week window seem small in terms of providing enough time for potential concertgoers to hear about and prepare for it. However, all stations that play the featured acts are giving away tickets daily to listeners, incorporating contests and club nights. The buzz has been constant and positive with the knowledge that the success of one major tour could open the city up for consideration by other big-time promoters organizing national urban events.

The possibilities are endless in terms of revenue passing through Toledo — providing entertainment, business and the opportunity for local artists to share the stage with national acts. Confirmed concert openers include Rapper Lady Te from Detroit and local rappers B. Wills, Cuntry and R&B singer Jay Rush. The three local slots were filled with careful consideration by the events production team Global Event Marketing, based on street buzz and proactive promotion by the individual artists.

Young Jeezy

Global Event Marketing is responsible for bringing Summer Jam to Toledo. The company is based out of Chicago and is well known among music industry professionals for producing major events across the country. Radio and television advertisements for Summer Jam can be seen and heard in Detroit, Toledo and surrounding areas. Local street teams and the local artists performing have been enlisted to promote and spread the word. Tickets can only be purchased at official Ticketmaster outlets, the Huntington Center and Ticketmaster.com. Beware of scalpers selling fake VIP and backstage passes. Security will not be an issue and, with the ground support across the city, Summer Jam is on track to becoming a success.

I urge all to support the event and the local artists as this will be a great look for the city and a good way to prove Toledo is capable of handling Hip-Hop on a large scale. If we do not help create these opportunities for our own area talent no one else will.